Posted on 02/24/2006 7:12:07 PM PST by CometBaby
"I can tell you the main reason behind all our woes — it is America." The New York Times reporter is quoting the complaint of a clothing merchant in a Sunni stronghold in Iraq. "Everything that is going on between Sunni and Shiites, the troublemaker in the middle is America."
One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed. The same edition of the paper quotes a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Reuel Marc Gerecht backed the American intervention. He now speaks of the bombing of the especially sacred Shiite mosque in Samara and what that has precipitated in the way of revenge. He concludes that “The bombing has completely demolished” what was being attempted — to bring Sunnis into the defense and interior ministries.
Our mission has failed because Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading army of 130,000 Americans. The great human reserves that call for civil life haven't proved strong enough. No doubt they are latently there, but they have not been able to contend against the ice men who move about in the shadows with bombs and grenades and pistols.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Yeah, who cares what Buckley thinks, he's only the most important and influential thinker of the modern conservative movement.
The Democrats like posturing and hand wringing by turn. The war on terror is has two objectives. First, the effort is to protect the people of the United States. Has that been successful? What are the chances for continued success?
Then, after the rout of the Taliban and Hussein, it looks to me that the effort is to change utterly the dynamic in the world. Has that been successful? Will it be successful? I submit that the WTC, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania were battles in a larger war. So is Afghanistan, Iraq and many other events. I submit that changing the dynamic is the ultimate goal.
If I understand Buckley, he is saying it hasn't been done and can't be done. I hope he is wrong. I don't think posturing and hand wringing will avail any worthy outcome.
We won the Battle of Tet. I believe the crazies in Iraq realizing that they are lossing and now, just like the Viet Cong, are lanching their "TET"
Time to hang tough and support our President and troops
After reading this thread and others on recent events, it's stunning to me how many people adhere to GOP politics just like Dims do to Lib politics w/o any questioning, reasoning, or challenging of the administration.
I presume that those people are not conservatives, but I'm guessing many are.
Anyway, that's no better than the libs other than your gonna be right more often than not for whatever consolation that's worth.
Not necessarily. I can see two possible situations arising in Iraq (and only two). They have democracy for a short period of time before they vote in what amounts to a theocracy, which eventually will remove democractic standards. Or a civil war breaks out where the final resolution is three separate states. Iraq is too diverse to exist as a democracy. It was nothing more than a state created after WWI.
It's more about Republicanism than Conservatism.
Anyone who isn't totally gung-ho about Iraq is ostracized.
If Buckley is right it will be a dark age for Iraq and a bonanza for Iran and Al Qaeda. Africa can't get past the tribe either and look at the life they have. It may be the case that the worst tendencies of human nature are the Dominant ones.
The US will be vastly worse off if this fails. All the worst elements will unite, encouraged by that failure.
Bye bye!
Though, as it turns out, the highest elected office in Iraq is held by a Kurd who wants to keep Iraq whole.
Wonder if Buckley will conclude that all those church burnings in Alabama means America is OVER!
So guess what? All of those purple fingers don't lie, despite the MSM and liberal/socialists attempts to the contrary.
Yeah, but that is by no means a guarantee of success over the long haul. There are still quite a few stones in the road that can cause a big collision. A good chunk, a large one in fact, had to do with us being able to train Iraqis to takeover for US soldiers, but IMO we're not having nearly the success there that we should be. The problem is that Iraq's future in that way, at least some of it, is predicated on that happening.
I agree, big success thus far. But as has been proven for decades now, it takes a vast minority in muslim controlled nations to turn things into a dungheap. We're never going to get all the "bad" muslims over there, so at some point they're gonna have to begin policing themselves. That points of WFB's is very valid.
I'm all for being over there until the job's done, but how long's that gonna be given the seeming lack of stepping up to the point of anything close to near complete effectiveness so that we can feel comfortable in leaving? I'm just not seeing that on the part of the Iraqis. Maybe it's just not being reported, and I know that there are pockets of success. But mere "pockets" of success in this way just aren't going to cut it over the long haul.
Buckley is an ivory tower conservative thinker. His ideas are often too impractical and unworkable.
There is no doubting his intellect. His common sense is another matter.
This comment reminded me of a thread here the other night where people we getting all gushy about our new best friend Allen Derschowitz because he blasted the dismissal of Larry Summers.
When I see people who have lived their lives on the left suddenly rush to the conservative side, that concerns me. I wish to embrace all people who are animated by broadly conservative sentiments but I am concerned that some have come to us over one and only one issue.
I would have liked to have seen that!
In spite of the fact that the large turnouts convinced me that they want democracy, I don't disagree with you at all on those 2 scenarios. My opinion is that although they likely do want an Islamic state, they don't want a Taliban type of government. Beyond that, the division in 3 makes some sense.
Yes....it was with that repulsive, America-bashing, expat queer Gore Vidal.
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